There is a story about a young boy who had a bad temper. One day, to help the son learn a lesson, his father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper or lashed out with his words, he would have to hammer a nail into their beautiful white picket fence. The very first day, the young boy drove eight nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, however, as the boy learned to control his anger, the number of nails he had to hammer into the fence drastically decreased each day. Finally, the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He was so proud of himself and told his father about his accomplishment. The father put his arm around his son, walked him out to the fence, and told the boy to now remove one nail for each day that he didn't lose his temper. Quite a while passed when finally the young boy was able to remove that last nail. As soon as he finished, the boy ran to tell his father.
The father hugged his son and said, "You have done so well at keeping your temper in check and I'm proud of you, but I want you to see something."
The father took the young boy by the hand and walked over to the fence.
"See all these holes in our beautiful fence?" the father asked.
The little boy nodded his head.
"That fence will never be the same," the father said. "When you say things in anger, those words leave scars on the hearts of others just like the nails leave holes in our fence. You can pull the nails out, but the marks are deep and permanent. The same goes for your words. It doesn't matter how many times you say you're sorry, you can't take those words back, and the scars are still there."
The boy's face fell low as he realized the impact of his words. The father, seeing that his son had learned such a valuable lesson, walked to their nearby shed and pulled out some new fence posts. "Let's build a new fence together, Son." The boy lifted his head with a huge smile. "And we won't put holes it!" he said. "And we won't put holes in it," the father echoed.
Today, the question is: Do you realize the weight of your words? Are you making holes in the hearts of others? Or, are you carefully choosing your words and allowing them to bring life to the people around you? Scripture says that, "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing" (Proverbs 12:18). Be wise today and let your words bring healing everywhere you go.
About Me
- Nextstep
- I talk about hot topics on love, give relationship and dating advice, and discuss topics on life. You might also get a peek into all the crazy, wild, and exciting things happening in life.
Saturday, 20 October 2012
Stretch and Increase!
Have you ever thought about the relationship between stretching and increase? Really, they go hand in hand. If you want to see increase in your life, you have to enlarge yourself. You have to stretch yourself so you can be prepared to receive more and give more. If you want to stretch, you have to take a step of faith and be obedient to what God has placed in your heart.
What are you doing to stretch yourself? You can't just sit back and wait for something to happen. You have so much to offer this world. There's more inside of you than you think!
There's a story about a woman who was newly divorced, almost penniless, afraid of public places, and trying to raise two teenage sons. Through several tragedies in her life, she developed severe agoraphobia and was afraid to even leave her house. She had to make a living, so she searched her heart for ways to support herself and her two sons.
She loved to cook, and all she knew to do for income was to make sandwiches and other simple foods. She found a few customers, but because she was so uncomfortable leaving the house, her two sons had to deliver the sandwiches. Her little home business quickly grew beyond the size of her kitchen, and she now faced a decision. Would she stand still and stop growing, or would she confront her fears and step outside her comfort zone and stretch herself? Though fear constantly harassed her, she recognized that cooking was the seed she had in her hand. As she sat in her house, she could imagine her business growing, and she began to see success. She made the decision to step out and learn and grow. First, she decided to confront the agoraphobia that imprisoned her. Reaching deep inside herself, she was able to take a job as a chef at a local hotel.
Her seeds began to spring forth, and once again, she experienced tremendous success. She was learning step by step that the gifts inside of her were seeds of greatness. A few years later, she opened her own restaurant, The Lady and Sons, right in the heart of Savannah, Georgia. The restaurant's reputation quickly spread and received national recognition.
Paula Deen's restaurant was such a success that she eventually landed her own television show, published cookbooks, and even had a role on the silver screen. Today she is one of America's most beloved television chefs, and it all started when she realized that the power that dwelt inside of her was greater than the fear that held her back.
Oftentimes, people stay where they are in life simply because of fear. Don't let that be you! Be willing to step out of your comfort zone. Be willing to stretch. Prepare yourself for increase because God has so much more in store for you!
"Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes." (Isaiah 54:2, NIV)
What are you doing to stretch yourself? You can't just sit back and wait for something to happen. You have so much to offer this world. There's more inside of you than you think!
There's a story about a woman who was newly divorced, almost penniless, afraid of public places, and trying to raise two teenage sons. Through several tragedies in her life, she developed severe agoraphobia and was afraid to even leave her house. She had to make a living, so she searched her heart for ways to support herself and her two sons.
She loved to cook, and all she knew to do for income was to make sandwiches and other simple foods. She found a few customers, but because she was so uncomfortable leaving the house, her two sons had to deliver the sandwiches. Her little home business quickly grew beyond the size of her kitchen, and she now faced a decision. Would she stand still and stop growing, or would she confront her fears and step outside her comfort zone and stretch herself? Though fear constantly harassed her, she recognized that cooking was the seed she had in her hand. As she sat in her house, she could imagine her business growing, and she began to see success. She made the decision to step out and learn and grow. First, she decided to confront the agoraphobia that imprisoned her. Reaching deep inside herself, she was able to take a job as a chef at a local hotel.
Her seeds began to spring forth, and once again, she experienced tremendous success. She was learning step by step that the gifts inside of her were seeds of greatness. A few years later, she opened her own restaurant, The Lady and Sons, right in the heart of Savannah, Georgia. The restaurant's reputation quickly spread and received national recognition.
Paula Deen's restaurant was such a success that she eventually landed her own television show, published cookbooks, and even had a role on the silver screen. Today she is one of America's most beloved television chefs, and it all started when she realized that the power that dwelt inside of her was greater than the fear that held her back.
Oftentimes, people stay where they are in life simply because of fear. Don't let that be you! Be willing to step out of your comfort zone. Be willing to stretch. Prepare yourself for increase because God has so much more in store for you!
"Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes." (Isaiah 54:2, NIV)
Friday, 19 October 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)